NA Industries polymer plant in Texas to go on line two months early

11 January 2011 23:46[Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS)--Construction on NA Industries’ 60,000 tonnes/year superabsorbent polymer (SAP) plant just outside Houston is underway, and the plant will become operational two months earlier than planned, the company said on Tuesday.

Despite breaking ground in December 2010 - about six months later than first announced - the SAP plant will be mechanically complete by the end of January 2012, two months sooner than planned, said NA Industries president Taka Yatagai.

“At the beginning of April 2012, we will begin operations to qualify the product for our customers,” Yatagai said. “We will begin full commercial operations by June 2012 as scheduled.”

The new plant will replace a 20-year-old SAP production facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where NA Industries is based, and will employ newer technology.

The American Acryl acrylates plant is operated as a 50/50 joint venture between Arkema and NA Industries, a subsidiary of Nippon Shokubai.

The SAP technology to be used at the new plant, located in Pasadena, is in use by Nippon Shokubai at plants in Japan, Belgium and China, a company source said.